Winning commercial bids is part science, part art, and part relationship. The science is accurate estimating - if you don’t know your numbers, you’ll either price yourself out of work or win work you’ll lose money on. The art is reading the bid documents, scoping gaps, and deciding where to be competitive versus where you need margin.
The estimating fundamentals: create a labor unit database based on your team’s actual productivity. How many holes does your guy drill per hour? How fast do you run conduit? How long does panel wiring take per circuit? These numbers are the foundation of a real estimate. Most commercial electrical estimators use software (Trimble Accubid, Electrical Bid Manager, ConEst) to speed up takeoffs.
The relationships: get to know the GCs in your market. Attend bid openings. Introduce yourself before projects are released. On smaller commercial work, being a responsive bidder - calling back fast, delivering proposals quickly - wins jobs. GCs choose subs they can depend on, not always the lowest price.